Charlotte Yonge, Hopes and Fears

Clare Walker Gore (The Open University)

Ed. by Grace Moore, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica E. Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1860

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Hopes and Fears, or, Scenes from the Life of a Spinster is a domestic realist novel by Charlotte Mary Yonge, first published by John W. Parker in 1860, and arguably marking a high point in Yonge’s work in this genre. By the time Yonge published the novel, she was already a household name. Made famous by her 1853 best-seller The Heir of Redclyffe, Yonge had established herself as a major writer of domestic realist fiction – then at the height of its popularity – with a string of well-received novels, including Heartsease (1854), The Daisy Chain (1856) and Dynevor Terrace (1857). These are all set in upper-middle-class English families, following large casts of characters over a long period of time, and characterised by slow-burning plots, convincing dialogue, and vivid, minutely detailed depictions of everyday domestic...

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2869 words

Citation: Walker Gore, Clare. "Hopes and Fears". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 April 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4685, accessed 09 June 2026.]

Charlotte Yonge, Hopes and Fears

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

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